My Chocolatier
by Cinnamin-chan
Summary: Have you ever wondered what things were like before everyone's favorite eccentric chocolatier built his factory? A look into the past of the young Willy Wonka: his lonely childhood, the creation of his shop, and how easy it is to fall in love... Based on
1. Chapter 1

My Chocolatier

by Cinnamin-chan

Chapter One:

It was a snowy day in London, and few people were outside because of the extreme cold. Some people stayed home, keeping warm by the fireplace. But even the bitter cold couldn't stop people from flocking to Cherry Street, where a famous candy shop was located. That candy shop belonged to Willy Wonka, who was considered the most talented candyman in town, and possibly the world. It was a fairly small shop, but they sent out orders to all sorts of places.

As successful as the shop was, Willy wasn't much of a social person. He didn't like it much whenever he was interviewed, but he did it nevertheless for the sake of his shop. Rumors were flying around that he had never had a girlfriend, either, even though he was fairly young. A few of his workers seemed a little concerned about his solitude; he lived alone. Willy seemed a bit frail, like a fragile piece of glass that would shatter easily if not taken care of. He was cheerful around his workers, though, and he put his heart into making candies that were very delicious.

There had been something peculiar about him this week (although most admitted that he was rather peculiar every day). He had seemed more frail than usual, and it was showing. He had looked very sickly each day, and was slower at working. His friends didn't know what was wrong, but they thought perhaps it was because he worked the hardest and always put in extra hours.

This day, the shop was very busy, and everyone, including Willy, was having trouble keeping up with orders. Around noon, they all agreed to take a group lunch break instead of shifts; this was a decision made by the other workers, and Willy decided to agree. After Jenni Masterson, the cashier, placed a sign stating that they were on break on the front door, she went to the back to sit at a table that Dennis Williams, a taffy pulller, had put up for them to sit at. There were only four people at work that day; everyone else was on holiday, so it was only Willy, Dennis, Jenni, and Joe Bucket, who usually helped make the chocolate.

Willy sat down last, looking completely exhausted. As tired as he was, he looked like he was ready to make his daily speech. Usually his speeches covered things like production rates, congratulations on accomplishing increased sales, or other business news.

"Well, gang," he began, keeping his usual cheerful tempermant in his voice, "this is usually our busiest season, and it seems as though it'll be just as busy as the last. I want to say again what a great job you're all doing here. I'm very proud of how hard you all work." Jenni winked at him, and Dennis and Joe smiled. Willy raised his glass. "I propose a toast," he said eagerly. "To good business and to great work!" Dennis raised his glass as well. "And to good health," he added, eyeing Willy's pale face, who didn't seem to notice, still smiling cheerfully. They toasted and drank, but a few minutes after they began to eat, Dennis brought up the subject again.

"Willy... we wanted to arrange this lunch so we could talk to you about something."

Willy's face fell. "What are we going to talk about? Is there something wrong? Are the schedules okay? Did the last shipment of candy go out on time? Did-"

Jenni shook her head. "No, no, Willy, it's not about the candy or the schedules or anything like that. We want to talk about you."

"We've noticed," said Joe, "and please don't take this the wrong way, that you've been looking very sick. Are you all right?"

Willy looked around at all of them, seeing the worry in their faces, and started laughing. "Me? Are you joking? I'm fine!"

Jenni smiled sadly. "Willy, we're not joking. We're worried about you. Did something happen to you, or are you sick? Are you getting enough sleep? Did you eat enough for breakfast?"

Willy looked confused. "There's nothing wrong with me... I swear... but... how can you tell?"

"Well," said Dennis, "you looked like you were about to collapse yesterday."

"And the day before," added Jenni.

"And even the day before that," said Joe finally.

"I... I did?" he asked nervously.

"Yes. You did." Jenni put an arm on his shoulder, and he flinched a bit. Willy didn't really like being touched, especially by women. "We know you're doing what you love, and that you wouldn't give anything in the world to trade this place for something else. But we think that you're working too hard. And you seem like there's something bothering you."

"You... you guys... I'm fine. There's nothing wrong with me."

Joe shook his head. "You can say all you want, but we can tell."

"That's why," said Dennis, "we all talked about this yesterday..."

"And please don't take this the wrong way either," said Jenni.

"We think that you should go on va-" began Joe.

"No!" Willy said suddenly. His eyes were very alert now, and a very nervous expression had come onto his face. "Don't... don't say it..." he said, his voice sounding shaky. The three workers exchanged looks. Deep down, they had been expecting this reaction, and were prepared to deal with it. They knew he always acted strangely whenever someone had even hinted for him to take a vacation. He almost seemed scared to do it.

"Willy, please," said Jenni, feeling heartbroken. She hated to see him like this; it was as if someone had set him, the fragile piece of glass, on the edge of a cliff, and a small earthquake was starting to shake the ground beneath it. "We think it's best for you. We know you don't want to, but we want you to be okay."

"We're going to manage the shop for you, and you're going to take a vacation," said Dennis firmly. This seemed to be the last straw: the earthquake had hit full force, and the glass fell from its perch, breaking into thousands of pieces.

Willy let out a small cry of mixed sadness, exasperation, and confusion, and he ran from the room. Before he had left, Jenni had seen his bright violet eyes filled with tears, a single one running down his cheek. She thought she might cry too as Dennis and Joe stared open-mouthed at the door that he had just slammed shut behind him.

"I knew this would happen," she said, her voice shaking now. "I knew he would take it the wrong way. He can't stand it when people think he's weak, even though he really is frail."

Dennis sighed. "I don't know what we're going to do. Maybe you could talk to him, Jenni."

She looked alarmed at this idea. "Me! Why me! I'm not the one who said the word!"

"But he seems to like you a lot. Please, just do it for him," said Joe pleadingly. Jenni knew she was stuck. She didn't want to leave Willy alone right now. She gave a small sigh, then exited the room.

She could hear noises coming from the storage room, and when she opened the door, she saw Willy in the corner, leaning against the wall. Tears were streaming down his face, and gasping sobs racked his body. He looked at her when she approached, and her heart sank; he looked as frightened as she had ever seen him.

"Willy... please... it's okay..." she said, trying to make her voice sound soothing, even though it was laced with nervousness.

"N-no..." he cried, his breathing rate increasing. He was shaking horribly. "I..."

"Willy..." she repeated, now shaking as well. "Why won't you do it? We can take care of the shop for you."

This didn't seem to help at all. Willy's face turned, if possible, even paler. "N-no... I w-won't d-do it... Y-you can't m-make me..." Panic was filling his voice.

Jenni was even more scared now. He looked as though he was about to faint, and that was the last thing either of them needed. "We don't want to make you," she said, her eyes now filling with tears. "We just want what's best for you. We can all tell that something is wrong. Are you okay?"

His eyes were barely in focus now. "N-no... I'm n-not..." he cried, giving up, and his knees gave way, and Jenni had to catch him to keep him from falling on the ground. She almost fell over trying to catch him, but broke the fall with her hand, and she was now sitting on the ground, with him leaning on her.

He started crying even louder than before, as though he was in great pain. Jenni's heart pounded loudly in her ears. She was afraid he was going to make himself even worse if he didn't calm down. "Willy, please, just take deep breaths," she said worriedly. "Calm down, please..."

Willy tried to breathe deeply, but ended up choking on a sob. Jenni didn't care if he didn't like it or not: she grabbed him into a soft embrace, his head on her shoulder, and she held his shaking body. "Please stop crying... It's okay..."

He looked up at her for a moment and stared meaningfully into her eyes. "N-no... it's not..." he said in barely a whipser, and he passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

Joe and Dennis had heard enough of the episode to know that they shouldn't interfere, and waited nervously for them to return.

Dennis was twirling a bit of his hair nervously. "He doesn't sound so good," he said shakily, thinking of the loud cries from the backroom.

Joe had turned very pale. "I knew he wouldn't be too keen with the idea, he never is... but what's happened to him so that he's even worse?"

About thirty minutes later (even though it seemed like an eternity), Jenni came back into the room, looking equally pale.

"I just want to let you know that he's coming back to my place for the rest of the day. Could you two please call in a few people to help?"

Dennis and Joe nodded quickly. "How... is he?" asked Joe slowly.

"Not good... not good at all," said Jenni, sighing. "He's just so... so..." She didn't need to finish the sentence. The two could already tell what the word was going to be.

"Go ahead and go Jenni," said Dennis, forcing a smile that he hoped would seem encouraging.

"Do you need any help?" offered Joe.

Jenni shook her head. "No... I'd better do it alone... I don't want to frighten him more... Well... I'd better go get him."

"Did he at least stop crying?" asked Dennis. "I haven't heard him for a few minutes..."

"Yes," said Jenni, but before a look of slight relief could appear on either of their faces, she added, "because he passed out." Dennis looked alarmed, and Joe's eyes widened. "Well... please be careful with him," said Joe finally.

Jenni nodded, and she waved goodbye to them as she left the room. All of the happenings had left her in a daze. Why had he acted like that? Why did he want to keep working so much? She decided it would be better to focus on the task at hand: getting Willy to her house. He was still unconcious, so he couldn't walk. She'd have to carry him, but she knew she would probably look suspcious carrying out the unconcious body of a famed chocolatier. Thinking quickly, she rummaged around in the boxes of the backroom until she found an old blanket, then covered his body with it. Feeling more awkward than ever, she quickly went outside to her car and laid him down gently in her backseat. On the drive home, she kept peering back frequently to see if he had woken up, but he didn't.

When she got home, she took him out of the car and upstairs to her bedroom, then set his body on her bed, carefully taking the blanket off of him and covering him up with her sheets instead. Not knowing what else she could do for him for now, she sighed exhaustedly, and sat in a chair near the bed. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep as well.

Jenni woke up after only a few minutes of sleep (or that's what it felt like to her). She was still tired, but she didn't want to have Willy wake up alone. A small smile crept onto her face. For some reason, he seemed much cuter than usual, especially while he was sleeping. In her opinion, he looked like a little angel. She felt torn about whether to wake him up now or let him sleep more, but she didn't have to decide; he was already stirring. When he opened his eyes, she was kneeling by his bedside.

"Hey, Sleepyhead," she said, grinning.

Willy looked a little alarmed for a moment, then rolled over, looking at his surroundings. He turned back to her. "Jenni?"

"That's right."

He stared at her for a moment. "Why... why am I here?"

"You don't remember? You... you passed out..." she said slowly, not smiling anymore.

The fearful expression from earlier came back to his face. "Oh... right..."

"I... I carried you here. Don't worry about the shop, Dennis and Joe said they'll take care of things."

Willy frowned slightly. "But... I wanted to work..."

Jenni almost laughed (and thankfully she didn't). "You? Work? That's not happening any time soon! Look at you! You look horrible!" She saw the smallest trace of tears in his eyes again, and suddenly remembered who she was talking to. "Well... you do... and I want to know what's wrong."

He sniffed, and Jenni felt great pity for him even more. "I... I don't want to talk about it," he said quietly, sniffing again.

Jenni felt like he was acting more like a kid right now than an adult, but whatever it was seemed to be very horrifying to him. "Please tell me," she said softly.

Willy sighed. "Okay... you promise you won't laugh?" Jenni nodded. "Well... It's a long story... You see, my... my dad... he's a dentist... and when I was younger, he didn't want me to have candy. None at all. And he made me wear these horrible braces..."

Jenni raised an eyebrow. From his tone, they didn't sound like ordinary braces. But having a dentist as a father explained his perfect teeth.

"I had never had candy before, but one night, I decided that I didn't want to take it anymore. He had thrown all my Halloween candy in the fire, but one candy remained. It was wrapped in gold foil... and it was chocolate. The moment I tasted that, I knew I had to be a chocolatier. From then on, I started buying as much candy as I could find... jawbreakers, taffy, you name it... I told him what I wanted to become, but he shunned me. He told me it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard..." His voice started to break. "But I told him that's what I was going to be, so I ran away. He told me that he wouldn't be there if I came back. And I did not long after I left. And..." Tears started to well up in his eyes again. "He was gone."

Jenni put an arm around him and looked at him meaningfully. "Your father left you? I can't believe he would do that..."

"I d-didn't think he would either... I didn't think he m-meant it..." said Willy, sniffing. Jenni handed him a box of tissues. He took one gratefully and blew his nose. "Thank you..." he said softly.

"You're welcome," replied Jenni, patting his shoulder. "So... the reason you made a candy store... was to fulfill your dream... and get back at your dad?"

Tears ran faster down his cheeks, but he nodded. Jenni finally understood. The pieces of the puzzle came together. Willy hated when he wasn't working because it let his mind wander from his love, candy... and drift onto his father, and how he had been abandoned and treated. And he was so frail because he had never been treated kindly before and didn't know how to accept love and caring. All those years that she had worked with him, and she had never known about any of this. All those times that he had acted so cheerfully when actually he was in so much emotional stress... It broke her heart that he didn't feel that he could be open about things like that, especially since they had become very good friends over the years. But it still didn't explain one thing... why was he over-working himself more these days? But she took a look at Willy's face and decided to wait until another time to ask that particular question. He looked bad enough without anymore explainations.

"Willy... I never... I never knew..." she said quietly.

"I n-never told anyone before now..." he said, his voice shaky again. He was crying even more than before, and Jenni wondered just how much he could cry, but realized that if she knew, it would probably break her heart even more. And to think that there may have been countless nights where he sat awake, crying to himself, feeling so lonely and so desolate... but mostly unloved. Her mind had wandered off so far that she didn't realize that Willy had been staring at her with his watery, violet eyes.

She wanted to make him happy. She wanted to make him feel loved. Jenni grabbed a tissue from the box and wiped his eyes. He jumped a little in surprise, but sniffed gratefully. "You should probably get some more rest," she said, pulling the covers over him more. "I bet you're still tired, aren't you?"

He nodded, and he laid his head down once more, and closed his eyes. "Thank you..." he said, before he drifted off to sleep again.

Jenni smiled, looking at his sweet, sleeping figure. The only sound in the room was his soft, quiet breathing and her own. As sad as the story he had told her was, she was glad that she had been the first to be confided in by sweet little Willy Wonka.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

Willy woke up a few hours later, and found that Jenni was still watching over him.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." he said, feeling embarassed. "I've been so much trouble today, and... I'm sure you have things to do... and..."

Jenni smiled. "Don't worry. The only other thing I had to do today was work."

Willy smiled back at her. "Well... as your boss, I give you permission to take the rest of the day off. But-" As he tried to sit up, he suddenly let out

a gasp in pain. "Ow..." he said, rubbing his right hand.

Jenni took it and examined the back, and he blushed slightly. It had two long scratches on it that looked like they had been bleeding. Sure enough, she looked at her sheets and at the discarded blanket from before, and there were a few faint blood stains on them. "How did this happen?" she said, frowning.

"I don't know," said Willy, wincing as he pulled his hand back. "Those weren't there before, were they?"

Suddenly, it hit her: he must've scratched his hand when he fell over earlier. "It's okay," she said assuringly as he glanced at the stains, looking embarassed. "Oh, I know what happened. Are you okay? Is there anywhere else that hurts?"

Willy tried to move his ankle, but let out a moan in pain. "That..."

"I'll get you some bandages." She left the room, then returned with some bandages and hydrogen peroxide.

"This'll sting a bit," she said, and she rubbed a cotton swab of it on his cuts, and she felt him flinch, but he didn't complain. She then carefully wrapped his hand in one bandage and his ankle in another.

"Thank you," he said gratefully. "I owe you a lot for this... All of this..."

"It's nothing," she said, blushing a little herself. The two sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes. Jenni was known to be good with people, but she felt a bit more concious about herself in front of Willy. And Willy didn't really mingle very well, so his silence was understandable. A loud growl broke the silence. Willy blushed.

Jenni grinned. "Either you're hungry or there's a lion outside my window. You didn't have much for breakfast, did you? And then you skipped out at lunch."

Willy tried to grin back apologetically. "Actually... I didn't eat anything at all. I didn't feel very good this morning..."

"You didn't? Why?"

"I don't know... You guys were right about me looking bad these days... I've felt just as bad..." he said, sighing. "I guess it's because..."

"Because what?"

"Because... my... my dad... he's in town." Willy gulped nervously.

Jenni's eyes widened in surprise. "He is? Why?"

"I think... I think he heard about my shop. And... he wanted to come. I'm not sure why he'd want to... He despises candy." Willy frowned slightly.

"So... you feel bad because you're scared your dad will come to your shop and judge you?"

Willy blushed again. "Um... yes... you're right. Wow, you really have a knack for hitting the nail on the head with the hammer, don't you?" he said sheepishly.

"People tell me that," she replied, smiling. "But no matter what... you shouldn't let things like that get to you. So what if he's coming? Be proud of what you became and how successful you are. He may even be proud of you."

Willy muttered something that sounded a little like, "I seriously doubt that," but his stomach growled again, and Jenni laughed.

"If you're hungry now, I can go make you some lunch. Do you want something?" He nodded. "Okay. I'll be back up in a minute." She headed towards the door.

"Wait! I can come with you," he said quickly, making a movement to get out of bed, but his ankle throbbed. "Ow..."

Jenni shook her head. "You're upstairs, there's no way you could make it down there without falling. Plus, it won't take very long."

Willy sighed and let his head fall back onto his pillow. She had done so many things for him... had he ever done anything nice for her? Sure, he gave her a job, and sure, they were friends, but he felt indebted to her. She even carried him up the stairs when he was unconcious, and as light as he was, that didn't seem like a very easy job.

He didn't have much time to think about the topic in his mind because Jenni returned quickly, just as she had promised, and she set a small tray in front of him on the bed. "I brought you some spaghetti. I hope you don't mind, it was leftovers from last night."

Willy took his fork and ate some of the noodles. "These are great!" he said, slurping some more. "Who made these?"

Jenni blushed for what felt like the millionth time that day. "I did... they're not that great, really..."

"Yes, they are." He ate fairly quickly, and Jenni guessed that he hadn't eaten much for the past week. When he was finished, she took the plate away from him and set the tray aside.

"Y'know, Willy," said Jenni as she set the tray on a table nearby, "you're really polite. Sure, we've been friends at work, but getting to know you like this... it's really nice. And I think you're sweet, too."

Willy turned a deep shade of red. "Umm... I... I don't know... I don't know what to say... t-thank you..." he stuttered nervously.

Jenni had hoped that he would've taken this sort of admission a different way, but the more nervous he got, the cuter he seemed to be. "You're welcome." And, deciding to do it at the last minute, she kissed him on the cheek. His face turned even darker red.

"Now... I hate to leave you alone again, but I have to run some errands," said Jenni. "Do you mind waiting here? I need to call Joe and Dennis, too, to see if they got any replacements." Willy nodded, still blushing, and Jenni waved as she walked out the door, calling "See you later!" over her shoulder.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

Willy sat in bed, waiting eagerly for Jenni to return. He was still a bit embarassed about before... she had been so nice to him. And for some reason, whenever she smiled at him like that... whenever she talked to him in that gentle tone... his heart started to race, and he felt foolish for no real reason. He had never felt this way before, and he was a little scared... what was wrong with him?

A small noise made him jump. It sounded like a soft, rustling noise, and he peered around the room nervously. _What was that?_ he thought to himself. He heard the noise again, and then heard a series of small thumps. Someone was in the room with him. Or something.

A mew right by his ear told him what that thing was. He gasped, turning to face it. It was a small cat with white fur, and it was staring at him intently.

"Oh... h-hello there..." he said, sighing in relief. He would've panicked if there had been an intruder or something.

The cat continued to stare at him, and mewed again. It was slightly unnerving to have something staring at him. There was another noise from downstairs, but it was the sound of a key unlocking the door, and then he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Jenni entered the room with her hands behind her back; she was apparently holding something.

"Hi," she said, smiling. "How are you feeling?" Jenni was relieved; he looked a great deal calmer than before when he was having a breakdown.

"Better than before," he said, smiling back.

Jenni eyed the cat. "I see you've met Mr. Whiskers."

"Yeah, he's been staring at me for a few minutes... What's that you've got there?" he asked, trying to crane his neck to see what she was holding.

She grinned slyly. "I got you a present." She handed him the object behind her back, which was wrapped rather hastily.

He looked at it curiously, and carefully opened without ripping the paper. When he finally opened it, a single bar of chocolate lay amidst the paper. It was a Wonka bar.

"Thank you..." he said, a little nervous. Why had she given him a bar of his own chocolate?

"I bet you're wondering why I gave you that, huh?" she said, laughing. "Well, while you were gone today, Joe, Dennis, and some other workers were testing out all these new flavors of chocolate, and they liked this one best. Try it."

He did as she asked and took a small bite from the top of the bar. It was amazing. "This flavor is wonderful... it tastes like..." He was a bit puzzled. It tasted like the kind of chocolate he had thought of the other day when he was inventing. But he hadn't been able to get it quite right.

"Surprised? It's that chocolate you kept trying to perfect." She smiled, and he took another bite. "You know, the Wonka Whipplescrumptious Fudgemallow Delight."

It tasted exactly as he had imagined. It was perfect. "I... I don't know what to say... thank you... But how... how did you get it right?" he asked curiously.

"With a bit of work," she said, winking.

"But-?"

"Shh," she said, putting a finger to her lips. "It's a secret."

He took another bite of it, and he smiled at her. "Thank you."

A warm sense of affection surged through Jenni. Every second she spent with him, she seemed to love him more. She wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss him, but she had already done that before, and the result wasn't quite what she was had wanted. _He needs some time_, she thought to herself, smiling back at him. Unable to restrain any longer, she settled to running her fingers through his dark hair. He jumped a little when she touched him, but he continued to smile at her.

"Your hair is really soft," she said, twirling a little bit of it around her finger.

Willy turned a deep shade of red. "Th-...thank you..." he mumbled.

"You're cute when you do that," she said, giggling. He was absolutely adorable when he acted like that. She was openly flirting with him, but he didn't seem to catch on, and if he had, he didn't know how to respond. This seemed to only add to his cuteness, and she found herself almost blushing again.

"Umm... I know I said this before, but I really owe you for this," he said quietly. "I don't know how to thank you."

"I do," she said softly, and she leaned in and kissed him on the lips.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

When Jenni pulled away from him, Willy looked at her in what she thought was a frightened matter, but then realized that it was only shock. He looked away, staring off with a look of thoughtfulness in his eyes.

"Your debt's been repaid," she said softly.

Willy's heart began to race. She had just kissed him. _Kissed _him. And it wasn't a kiss on the cheek, it was one on the lips. The now familiar feeling of foolishness began to surface, and his mind became dazed. _Oh no, oh no, oh no, what do I do now!_

Jenni seemed to sense his uneasiness, because she looked at him meaningfully. "Willy? You alright?"

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine," he said, a definite note of panic in his voice. Jenni suddenly felt guilty; she had been so caught up in the moment that she was only just now realizing what she had done.

"Willy... I'm sorry..." she said, blushing. "I... I don't know why I did that... you just... you looked so cute... and..."

"It's okay," he mumbled, looking away from her. It seemed like she felt the same away about him that he felt about her. But what was he going to do about it? He really never had a girlfriend, and he was horrible with people, especially women. And now, a girl liked him, and he had no clue what to do. He wasn't confident enough to talk to her openly about his feelings for her; in fact, he wasn't even confident at all.

"Willy, really, I should apologize, she said hastily. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

Willy looked back at her, and her eyes were filled with deep regret. It was now or never. "It's... it's okay... you don't have to apologize. I... I like you, too." _Oh my God, I can't believe I just said that out loud..._

Her eyebrows raised. "I don't like you, Willy," she said, and for one horrifying moment, Willy thought he had made a horrible decision. But then she grinned. "I _love _you."

His heart almost stopped; he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. After she had said that, all of the moments they had spent together that day flashed before his eyes. Her loving embrace as he cried, taking him home, making him food, _kissing him_. Unable to respond, he sat there in complete shock. No one had ever told him they loved him before. Not even his father. Jenni was looking at him expectantly, as if waiting to see his reaction. He stared at her for a moment, and he tried to speak, but only a small noise like a cough emitted from his throat. Mortified, his body became rigid, and before he knew it, he had passed, falling back onto the pillow.

"Willy... Willy... wake up... please..."

Willy felt a soft tapping on his shoulder as a voice spoke right into his ear. He sat up with a gasp, panting slightly. Jenni was staring at him with concerned eyes, and reality hit him with full force; he remembered what she said to him.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I don't know why I keep doing that..."

She laughed. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have shocked you like that." She hesitated, then put a hand on his shoulder. He didn't wince this time.

He felt extremely awkward; he had no idea what to say to her without sounding like an idiot. Despite trying to breathe in deeply to relax, he felt the equally familiar wave of panic wash over him, and he started to feel sick; he always felt sick when he was nervous. _Thanks, Dad. It's because of you that I always feel this way._ That seemed like a harsh thought, even though his father had been much more harsh to him.

Jenni was looking at him curiously, as she had noticed him become more tense. "Willy?"

"What?" he said quickly.

"You look like you're in pain... Is it your hand? Or is it your ankle?"

"No, I'm fine," he said shakily. He suddenly felt that he wanted to be alone again; he loved Jenni's company, but being alone was more familiar to him than anything else, and he felt that he was becoming a burden to her. "Um, I think I'll go home now," he said, moving to get up but moaning in pain when his left foot touched the floor; his ankle was still sore.

"Oh," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Okay..." She saw a look of regret in his eyes now, and understood what he was thinking; he didn't want to impose on her, and he felt that he was being rude. "Willy, you don't have to leave if you don't want to. You're not in the way or anything. I seriously didn't have anything else to do today, honest."

He hesitated, then he pulled his leg back up and onto the bed again. "Are... are you sure?"

She nodded, then smiled. "You're always welcome here, you know." Her smile lifted his heart, but his stomach did a backflip, and he felt like he was going to throw up. He sputtered, coughing.

"Are you okay?" Jenni had no idea how many times she had asked him that question now, but she was concerned with his well-being, so she didn't really care.

He nodded, but she could see the slightest shade of green showing on his pale face. She sighed. He could be so stubborn.

Jenni glanced at her clock, and realized that it was almost six o' clock. "Well... I'd better get dinner ready. Do you want anything?" He shook his head, and she rubbed his back softly. "Okay... well, I'll be back up here in a little while to check on you. If you need anything, just call me."

She got up and left the room, leaving Willy to sit alone and ponder over things. She had been so nice to him... It was hard for him to believe, but she really did like him. He decided to rest a bit more though; there wasn't much else he could do, he didn't want to try and hop down the stairs on one foot, and as for the sick feeling, he felt that he could just sleep it off. On the other hand, he had spent most of the day sleeping anyway, but he grew bored quickly, so he laid his head back down and was soon fast asleep.

About an hour later (at least Willy thought so), he stirred, and when he opened his eyes, Jenni was once again by his bedside, but she wasn't the only one; Dennis and Joe were there as well.

Jenni smiled when she saw that he was awake. "How are you feeling now, Willy?" she asked.

"Better than earlier," he said, failing to suppress a large yawn. He did feel marginally better than before he had fallen asleep.

"We were hoping you were alright after... you know... earlier," said Dennis uneasily. "But don't worry, we were able to get a few people to come in so we wouldn't have to close down today."

Joe nodded. "And it's more important that you're okay. Jenni wouldn't tell us why you were acting so strange, though."

Willy glanced at Jenni, and she winked. It made him feel a whole lot better knowing that she had kept his secret. He would tell the others... eventually.

"Did you like the chocolate she brought you?" asked Dennis, grinning. "It was Jenni's idea."

Jenni blushed. "But Joe did most of the work..."

"You helped a lot too, if I remember correctly," said Joe.

"Well... I guess..." she said, laughing.

"Man, you guys are making me feel like I'm in the way," said Willy, smiling. "I'm sorry that I had to interrupt your work day, and that you've done so much for me."

"It's no problem, Willy. Sure, you're our boss, and we want to be friendly with you, but more importantly, we're your friends. We care about you," said Dennis.

"Plus, we were no more or less busier than we would have been if you had been there," assured Joe.

"Well... I may have to give everyone a raise for this," said Willy, and everyone laughed.

Jenni set a plate in front of him. "I made dinner, so here you go. And I don't care if you're not hungry, you need to eat." He eyed the plate. It had a rather large piece of chicken on it. It smelled delicious, and his feeling of nausea had long since faded away, so he ate ravenously.

Joe raised an eyebrow. "Gosh, you look like you haven't eaten for days!" Willy did not respond, not only because he didn't want them to know that he hadn't, but because his mouth was stuffed full of food. Jenni winked at him again.

After they finished eating (everyone had brought their food upstairs), Joe and Dennis decided to leave, and Willy and Jenni waved goodbye to them. "So, Willy... I know this is a strange request," she began, "but do you want to stay here for the night?"

He reacted the way she had expected; he turned red again. "Urm... if it's not any trouble... I mean..." he mumbled.

She poked his shoulder. "I'll take that as a yes. It's no trouble, really. I have a spare bedroom that I can sleep in."

"Are you sure you don't want your bed?"

"I'm sure, plus, you look pretty comfortable already," she laughed, and Willy couldn't help but smile, and he did feel comfortable in her bed. She got up to leave, but before she left the room, she told him "goodnight", then she kissed him softly on the cheek.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

Willy fell asleep that night with a smile on his face. The day's events had worn him out a little bit, but he was content with what he had discovered: someone loved him. He had never felt such warmth before in his usually cold and cruel life. This night, he had a dream about that cold and cruel life...

"_Willy... Willy... get up, you lazy boy..." a cold voice said._

_Little Willy stirred, rubbing his eyes, and he felt a tugging on his shirt. It was his father._

_"Today is the day you get your braces," he said, his eyes glinting maliciously._

_Willy gulped. He didn't want those braces... they looked very painful. "N-n..." he stuttered._

_"What was that, Willy?" sneered his father.  
_

_"N-no!" said Willy. "I d-don't want them!"_

_"It's not a matter of whether you want them or not," his father said coldly. "It's about my son having perfect teeth, like mine. What would the townspeople think if they saw the son of Wilbur Wonka, the dentist, with horrible, cavity-filled, yellow, crooked teeth? Nonsense!" He grabbed Willy's hand tightly and pulled him out of bed._

_"I d-don't care what they think," he said fearfully, tears starting to well up in his eyes. "I don't want them!"_

_"Too bad, you're getting them."_

_"B-but... D-dad... don't you... don't you love me?" he cried._

_His father paid no attention to him and continued to lead him to a room in their house, and on the table next to the patient's chair was a horrible metal device._

_"Sit," he ordered, and frightened Willy obeyed. His father picked up a sinister-looking tool and the headgear, and he said, smiling evilly, "Now, this shouldn't hurt... much."_

_Willy closed his eyes as he heard the tool whirring and getting closer to his face. "No..." he said weakly. _

_The whirring noise grew louder still._

_"No... M-mother... help... help me!"_

He woke up suddenly, panting heavily. Willy glanced nervously around the dark room, as if expecting something to pop out of the shadows and attack him. He discovered that he was sweating profusely as well, and the feeling of sickness returned with full force.

"Willy?"

The voice made him jump; but it was Jenni who opened the door, looking at him with concerned eyes. "Willy? What's the matter?"

"Oh..." he panted, "n-nothing..."

Jenni came to his side and held his hand, discovering that he was shaking horribly. "Don't lie, Willy."

"I... I... I had a dream..."

"About what?"

"About... my... my father..." he cried, and he started to sob loudly. Jenni took him in her arms, and she hugged him tightly.

"It's okay, Willy," she said softly. "It was only a dream. It's not real."

"Y-yes, it was!" he sobbed even more loudly. "It... it was about the t-time I got my b-braces..."

Jenni could once again only imagine how horrible they were in reality, and she sighed. She had hoped that he would have improved by tomorrow, but at the rate things were going, Willy was probably going to end up in worse shape than ever. _Why did he have to have that dream tonight!_

"Willy... it's okay... your dad's not here right now. He can't hurt you..." she said soothingly. "And... I'm here for you."

Willy looked up at her, tears shining on his pale face. "T-thank you..."

"You're welcome. Now... I don't know if you can get back to sleep easily, can you?" she asked.

He shook his head, and suddenly, he felt uncontrollably nauseous. He moaned, and Jenni loosened her grip on his body.

"What's wrong now?" she said, looking alarmed at his pallid profile.

"I... I... feel like I'm going to throw up," he said weakly.

"Oh dear," she said, and she got up at once, leaving the room. This left Willy confused for a moment, but then she returned with a glass in her hand. "Drink some water, it'll make you feel better."

He obediently took the cup and started to drink it slowly.

She smiled kindly at him. "Better?"

He nodded, then set the cup aside. "I'm sorry to have bothered you so late..." he said softly. She wiped a single tear off his face with her hand. "It's nothing. I wouldn't want you to be sad and alone, especially at this time of night..."

Jenni got up again. "Well... good night..." she said, and she headed for the door.

"Wait!"

She turned around and Willy was looking very alert. "Don't... don't go... please..." he said, his voice starting to break.

Her heart pounded; she couldn't leave him here now, not after an obviously bad nightmare. An idea suddenly hit her. She walked back to him. "I know what to do." She bent down to reach the underside of the bed and pulled out another bed. It was a bit dusty and rather old-looking, but she grabbed one of the pillows off her own bed and set it on top, then took a blanket from nearby.

"There," she said, laying down on the bed. "Now, if you need me, I'll be right next to you. And you'll still have your space," she laughed, and Willy couldn't help but smile a little. He felt safer with her in the room and the knowledge that if something happened to him again, she would be right next to him, and his fears slowly ebbed away as he fell into a dreamless sleep.

In the morning, Willy awoke to hear birds chirping happily outside the window. He felt more energetic than he had the entire week, then he suddenly realized once again that he wasn't at his house: he was at Jenni's. He peered down at her as she slept, and a smile spread across his face. He thought that she was incredibly beautiful, and he wanted to talk to her, but he was hesitant about waking her up. After all, she had done a lot for him the previous day, and she was probably exhausted. Nevertheless, gathering his courage, he bent down and kissed her cheek.

When he pulled away, Jenni opened her eyes, saw him watching her, and smiled.

"Good morning, Willy," she said, yawning. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you?"

She hoisted herself up and sat on the bed next to him. "I'm fine, too. So... since it's Saturday, do you think we should head to work?"

Willy stopped. "What day is it?"

"It's Saturday. Why?"

His face turned the palest she had ever seen. "Because... because..."

"What?"

"Because today is the day my dad is coming," he said, horrified.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

Willy started to shake. His father was coming. _Today_. He hadn't even thought about it. What would his father say? What would he think?

"Oh no," he cried, "what am I going to do!"

Jenni became very tense; after all if he was nervous about something, so was she, for his sake. "Willy, don't panic, it's going to be-"

"No, it's not!" he said in a frustrated tone. "We need to get to the shop, quick! Oh dear, I hope we're not late, please don't let us be late!" He glanced at the clock; it was eight fifty-two. "Oh no! I have to open in eight minutes! Come on, Jenni!"

The two of them dashed out the door, and Jenni hastily started her car and zoomed off to the shop. On the way there, Jenni would occasionally glance at Willy, like last time, and she would always see his frightened expression, his pale face, the near-fainting sort of feeling that he always seemed to have.

When they pulled up, Joe was waiting inside the shop, and he unlocked the door for them. "Where have you guys been!" he said, alarmed.

"Sorry, Joe, but we accidentally slept in," said Willy, not bothering to describe the details of _why_ they had slept in. "Is everything ready?" Joe nodded, and Willy ran to the back room. Jenni stood nervously in the front.

"So..." said Joe, a hint of slyness in his voice, "why _did_ you sleep in?"

"Rough night," said Jenni, but when she spotted the ghost of a smirk on his face, she added, "because had a nightmare."

"Oh," he replied, his face falling a little. "Well, I can tell he's in a bit of a shock. We're going to have to support him wholly in this."

Jenni nodded in agreement. "We can't let him down, or it'll crush him. After all... it's his dad... so... we have to make a good impression. The only thing I'm really worried about isn't whether or not we look like a good business, but the fact that we sell candy. I hope..." she gulped, "I hope that it doesn't make things a bit... rough... between them."

"All we can do is pray that things will go smoothly," he said assuringly. "Let's get ready."

Jenni sighed. If things didn't go smoothly, she didn't know what she'd do. Willy rushed back into the room and looked up at the clock. "It's nine, go ahead and unlock the doors." Jenni glanced at him and gave him a small smile, and he gave a nervous smile in return. She walked slowly up to the front doors and unlocked them.

_Now all we can do is wait..._ she thought to herself. "Did he say exactly when he was coming?" asked Dennis.

Willy shook his head. "I have no idea... he just said... today..."

"Did he tell you in person?"

"Oh, goodness, no!" said Willy, alarmed. "He... he wouldn't do that. He sent me a letter."

Jenni kept glancing up towards the clock. It was a bit unnerving to not know when he was coming. It was like he could just pop up at any given moment. And all sorts of horrible images kept shooting across her mind. _Please... please let things be alright... please..._

Minutes passed by, then hours, until finally, when Jenni looked up at the clock, it said twelve 'o clock. All of them heard the sound of a car drive up, and Joe looked out the window. A shiny black car had parked outside, and a man stepped out of it, looking at the shop. Joe's heart nearly stopped; it really was Wilbur Wonka, Willy's father. Even though he never knew the whole story, he had a feeling that they never got along.

Jenni let out a small gasp, and Willy started to sweat. _He's here... he's here... _"Everyone r-ready?" he said nervously. They all nodded.

Soon, he made his way to the door, and Joe held it open for him, bowing slightly. "Good afternoon, sir," he said politely.

Wilbur paid no attention to this greeting and instead walked up to Willy.

_Oh, God..._

"H-hello, D-dad..." he stuttered.

His father's eyes stared coldly into his. "Hello, Willy," he said without a trace of emotion in his voice. He turned away from him and stared disdainfully around the shop, at all the walls lined with chocolates, bins full of plastic-wrapped lollipops, a pile of Wonka bars, and a box of taffy.

"This is your shop?" he said cooly.

Willy gulped, but nodded.

_Keep yourself calm... don't let him get to you again._

"A _candy_ shop?"

He nodded again, more nervous than ever.

_Keep calm..._

"Even after I told you no son of mine would become a chocolatier?"

Willy flinched. "Y-yes..."

_Keep absolute calm..._

Jenni could only watch in horror. She had seen this scene unfold in her mind, and her worst fears (and most likely Willy's) were coming true. _Why is he being so mean? Can't he just accept it?_

Willy and all of the workers watched as he walked around the fairly large room, examining each type of candy.

"This is pathetic," he said in disgust, picking up a lollipop, then throwing it back into the bin. "I am a dentist, and my son... a candy maker?"

No reply. Willy only stared down at the floor.

_Just leave him alone, you horrible man... _Jenni wanted to shout, anything to make his father go away. _Leave this store. You're not welcome here... You're the reason for all his nightmares, his fears, his sadness, his loneliness. And then you come in here and humiliate him in front of all his workers? In his shop? You horrible, horrible, horrible, man..._

"Willy, this is completely unacceptable."

_No... no..._

"You've disappointed me greatly." Wilbur turned on his heel and exited the shop.

Everyone watched as he left the shop, then drove off in his car. Then all the eyes turned to Willy, who was still staring at the spot where his father had been standing moments ago.

"Willy?" said Jenni cautiously, walking slowly towards him.

Willy turned to look at her. His mouth was slightly open, and his eyes were wide in shock.

"J-j..." His eyes began to fill with tears.

"Willy..." _Oh no. Not again._

"J-J-Jenni!" he cried, and he collapsed on the floor, falling on his knees.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

The entire room was silent except for Willy's sobbing.

"Willy... it's okay..." Jenni tried to console him, but he kept sobbing even more loudly than before.

Joe and Dennis exchanged looks, then Joe gave a nod to the other workers, who went into the back of the shop, where Joe and Dennis soon followed. _It's best if they're alone together... _they both thought.

Willy continued to cry. Jenni sat on the floor with him and pulled him into a soft hug. He was shaking again. "Willy... don't think about him."

"I c-can't!" he cried, and Jenni pulled him closer. "Willy... I know he's your father, but that's just the way he is. He doesn't like candy, and it must have angered him that it became your passion, and now, your job."

"He... he thinks I'm useless!"

"No, he doesn't! He never said that!"

"He d-didn't s-s-say it, but I know that's w-what he's thinking!"

"Willy..." She placed a hand under his chin and lifted his head up, and she gazed into his sparkling violet eyes. He was irresistably cute this very moment, but she couldn't let her attraction to him get in the way of consoling him. "Willy, you can cry if you want to. You have every right to. But I just want you to stop for a moment and hear me out," she said firmly. "I just want you to calm down a bit. Will you do this for me?"

He sniffed, but nodded.

"Look... your father is a dentist, so it's natural he hates candy. And even though he neglected you, I'm sure there's a part of him that actually does love you."

Willy opened his mouth slightly, but didn't interrupt. "I know that because for one thing, he came to your shop. And no parent can ever harden their heart towards their child, no matter how much they try. You found something in your life to keep you away from him, to keep your thoughts away from your memories of him. And he might've been jealous... he might've thought that you loved candy more than him and were more interested in that, and he became colder to you, thinking that it might make you want to be with him more. But it backfired, and you felt lonelier than ever. So you got your revenge by becoming a chocolatier. And he probably became bitter knowing that candy had won the fight."

"I did become a chocolatier... because of that. I thought... maybe if I dedicated my life to the one thing I actually loved and the thing that he loathed, I would actually be satistfied with my life."

"I can understand why you would do that. But he can't keep rejecting you, and you can't keep rejecting him. And don't give me that look," she said as his eyebrows raised, "you really are rejecting him, just subconciously. Focusing on the sweet things in life, candy, has made you reject him. You use it to try and erase or block out the memories of his cruelty and coldness towards you."

Willy blinked a few small tears out of his eyes, and he gave a small sigh. "You're... you're probably right."

Jenni rubbed his back softly. "I'm pretty sure I am. I know a lot about how people's minds work."

"You know... you're the first person who ever really understood me." He gave her a small smile, and it made her heart leap with joy. Even though tears were still trailing down his face, it made her feel better to see him smile a little. "Thank you."

She pulled him even closer so that his head was on her shoulder and her arms were wrapped around him. _No... thank you, Willy. You've given me someone to love._

They both sat there for a few minutes in silence, Jenni holding the still slightly-shaking Willy in her arms, waiting for him to calm down.

"Feeling any better?" she said finally.

Willy looked up, and tearstains were still shining on his now flushed cheeks. He nodded.

"You look really worn out. Do you want me to take you home?"

He frowned slightly. "No... I really should get to work..."

"Are you sure you really want to do that?"

_No..._ he thought to himself. Truthfully, he really did feel worn out, and even though Jenni's kind words made him feel a little bit better, he didn't think he could manage working that day. "I..."

She waited patiently for his response. "No..." he finally said. "I want to go home. But... the shop..."

Jenni gave him a reassuring smile. "I've already told you, we can take care of it."

"I really shouldn't though... I've been sleeping too much..."

"Well, considering you looked like you hadn't slept at all before, I think it's fine if you sleep more. But you don't necessarily have to sleep, you can just take a break from work and relax. The worst is over. He's gone now."

_I have a feeling this isn't the worst there will be..._ he thought nervously, but he decided that it would be best to just go home. "Okay... fine..."

He reached into his pocket to grab his car keys, but Jenni stopped him. "I'll take you there. You shouldn't drive right now."

_She's acting like I'm sick or something..._

"Why not?"

"You look too tired to drive!"

"I am not!" he said, starting to get a bit frustrated. As weak as he knew he was, he still didn't like being shoved around.

"Willy, just let me do it," she said exasperatedly.

"Fine," he said with a bit of anger in his voice, but looking into her deep brown eyes, he felt any anger slowly ebbing away. _It's because she cares_, he told himself.

Jenni gave him a pleading smile, and the two left the shop. _Come to think of it, _she thought, _I don't think I've ever been inside his house before. Not once._

"Do you know where it is?" he asked, getting into the car, which was a bit messy and cluttered.

"Erm... I've driven by it, yes, I do know where it is," she said, embarassed slightly by the amount of junk she had in her car.

The two sat in silence as Jenni drove towards his house. They were now on a very empty and secluded road. The drive seemed to be taking a long time, and Jenni suddenly remembered why: the only times she had ever seen his house was when she was leaving town, because he lived far away from the main city.

She kept glancing at the clock, and after a while, she realized that she had been driving for over an hour.

"Willy, you really should move closer to the city," she said, laughing.

He didn't reply.

"Willy?" She looked over at him to find that he had fallen asleep in his seat. Grinning to herself, she dug around the back seat through the pile of assorted objects until she found an old blanket. She stopped the car for a second and laid it carefully over him.

She laughed softly. "How many times am I going to have to do this for you?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

Jenni finally pulled up to his house, and was shocked to discover how large it really was. It was a proper-looking, red brick house, and gates enclosed a wide area of land all around the building.

_Well... it has been a while since I last drove by here, and I never actually came up to the house..._ she thought. _It's so pretty..._

Now came the hard part; waking up Willy. Looking at his sleeping face, she found it difficult to resist leaving him to sleep, just so she could watch him slumbering peacefully. It was better than seeing his strained expressions, his crying, his frustration, his pains...

_No_, she thought, shaking her head. It wasn't good to think about those things... it wasn't good for either of them. Hesitantly, she said, "Willy?"

He didn't answer, but continued to sleep.

"Willy?"

No answer again. But now, Willy had started to twitch a little in his sleep, like a dog having a bad dream. _What's the matter with him? I hope he's not having another nightmare..._

_"Mom?"_

_Little Willy stood next to a bedside, his small hand gripping a larger one, a soft one._

_"Mom? Please... talk to me..."_

_The hand became limp, and he started to cry._

_"Mommy... please don't leave me alone... please..."_

_Suddenly, darkness flooded his vision, and he started to sob, feeling like a lost child. And in a way, he was._

_"M-M-Mommy?"_

_"Your mother is dead," said a voice coolly, and he turned to see a stern face illuminated by a pale white light. It was his father. "She's gone, Willy."_

_"N-no," he cried, shaking his head. "She's not dead... she's just sleeping..."_

_"She's dead," he repeated, his tone becoming harsher. "Now get away from there."_

_"I'm not leaving Mommy!" said Willy firmly. "I'm going to s-s-stay with her!" Tears were streaking down his face._

_"Foolish boy, get away from her!" he snapped, and he grabbed Willy by the hand and yanked him away._

_"No! No!" he cried, struggling to free himself from his father's grip. "I'm staying with her!"_

_"Don't be a fool! She's dead, and there's nothing you can do to bring her back!" he yelled._

_"Mommy! Mommy!" he kept crying, but he was powerless as his father pulled him away..._

"Willy?" He still didn't answer. Now, he was twitching even more than before, and a look of distress had shown up on his face.

_That's it,_ she thought, frustrated. She had to wake him up somehow, because apparently, he was having another nightmare. She had hoped that she could avoid physical contact, but she had no choice.

Jenni grabbed his shoulders and shook him slightly. "Willy!" she said loudly.

Willy jerked awake with a gasp. She instantly let go of his shoulders. He stared at her in alarm. "I'm sorry, Willy, I just wanted to wake you up..."

"N-no... that's not... that's not it..." he said weakly. He looked even more tired than before he had gone to sleep.

_What's wrong now?_ His faced was flushed, but it didn't seem like it was from embarassment. Jenni put a hand to his forehead, much to his dismay again, and she sharply pulled it back after only a second. "Ow, you're burning up, Willy!"

"I... what?" he said, apparently in a daze.

"Willy, you've got a fever," she said, sighing, and she helped lift him out of the car. "What were you dreaming about?" she asked as they started to walk to his house, with Willy leaning on her for support.

"I... had... a dream... about... my mother..." he said softly. "When... when she..." His voice faded away.

"Willy, just don't worry about that now, you can tell me later," she said, seeing that every single word was a struggle for him and not remotely paying attention to his words. Finally, they made it up to the front door, and after Willy unlocked it with his key, Jenni couldn't help but marvel at the amazing sight that was his house. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen; there were plush red carpets, chandeliers hanging in almost every room, a large fireplace in the living room, and the pleasant aroma of chocolate. She helped him walk upstairs to bring him to his room, but then forgot that she had no idea where his room was.

"Er..." she said, staring at the numerous doors. "Which-?"

"Third door on the right," he answered, expecting her question. When they entered, she emitted a small gasp. His room was magnificent; there were beautiful, colorful paintings on the walls, and his bed looked large, comfortable, and inviting. She could see that his room led to a private bathroom and from a quick glance she saw that there was an enormous bathtub in it. _He really has a luxurious life..._ she thought in awe, starting to feel a bit jealous and envious, comparing her posessions to his.

A small cough from beside her reminded her of the precious cargo she was carrying, and she set him down on his bed lightly. "Um... you have medicine in that cabinet, right?" she asked, and he nodded, coughing again.

Jenni quickly went into the bathroom, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Willy slowly removing his shows and his jacket, then pulling back the covers on his bed and lying down.

She took a moment to regain herself. _Every day is more excitement, huh?_ she thought sarcastically. _It's always something..._ There had been a lot of drama these past few days, she realized, and she was surprised how calmly she had dealt with things compared to how other people would react. But even though she had been stuck helping him so much, she knew that in any situation of the two, he was always in more pain than she was.

A soft sneeze from the other room once again pulled her from her reverie, and she quickly dug through the cabinet. Finally retrieving a bottle and a small spoon, she shut the doors quietly and walked back into the room. Willy had sat up again, and was rubbing his eyes gingerly.

"Poor thing," she giggled, and she poured a small amount of liquid into the spoon. "Open up."

Willy did the sort of thing that you expected a child to do: he shook his head and pulled back from her.

"Willy, I'm serious."

He shook his head again.

_I didn't want to have to resort to this..._ "Look, over there, it's a chocolate bar!" she said, pointing in a random direction.

"Where!" he said, and his mouth was open long enough for her to pop the spoon in. He frowned when he realized that he had been tricked, and Jenni wore a satisfied grin as he reluctantly swallowed it. "Ew... That was horrible."

"There's worse-tasting ones out there, I can assure you," she said, still grinning. "It was either take it and get better or not take it and feel horrible. Alright?"

He muttered something under his breath, but he nodded.

Jenni sat on the bed next to him. "So, tell me... what did you dream about?"

Willy looked at her with cautious eyes. "Um... I don't really want to talk about it," he said quietly.

She grabbed his hand, and he shuddered a little. "Please tell me. You might feel better about it if you talk about it. And I promise I won't tell anyone else."

Willy sighed, but looked up at her. "Well... I had a dream about... my mother this time... when she..." His voice suddenly broke.

Jenni put a hand on his shoulder, and stared meaningfully at him.

"When she died," he finished.

"I'm sorry... I hate to ask, but... how did she die?"

"I'm not exactly sure. I was really young, all I know is that she got sick, and she never got better," he replied. "My father never bothered to explain it to me, either," he added bitterly.

"Oh..." she said, slightly heartbroken. No wonder he had become so unhappy. "Did your mother..." It felt strange to ask the question.

"She loved me," he answered, once again expecting the question. "My father didn't, but she did. And the only happy memories of my life as a child are the ones that she and I had together."

Jenni felt like she was becoming his psychiatrist. "Tell me about your mother."

"There are so many things I could say... but... but it would take too long," he muttered, embarassed. "It's nothing, forget it."

"Willy, I have plenty of time. I'm all ears," she said, smiling.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

Willy sighed. "Okay... well, when I was a kid, she was really the only one who ever paid attention to me or loved me. She would take me to all sorts of places, like the zoo or to the shops, you know, that sort of thing. But... the store that I liked to go to the most... was the candy shop. Mother wouldn't let me have candy, except once, only 'cause my dad didn't want me to and she wanted to follow his wishes, but she would let me go and watch them make candy. Sometimes, we would just sit there all day and watch them making all of the confections..."

He hesitated, but Jenni nodded for him to continue. "Well... since she spent more time with me, obviously, I loved her more. And that's why..." He bit his lip. "That's why it hurt so much... when she left..." Willy seemed on the verge of tears, but he continued again. "She was really weak, it was a family thing or something. The way each of her parents and grandparents, and even their parents, had died was because of old age, or more often, getting sick and never getting better. And that's... that's how she ended up..."

Jenni felt terribly sorry for Willy. He had even more emotional scars than she had thought. "She got sick after she gave birth to me, but even though she got better, I heard that she wasn't really the same as before. She still wanted to take me places, and she did. But a little while after my fifth birthday, she got really sick. She stopped leaving the house, and had to stay in bed all the time. We had a sort of family nurse named Mandi, and she volunteered to stay at our house to take care of my mom. I visited her every day... I kept wishing that she would get better. One night, though, I heard her and my father talking, and she told him that my mom probably wasn't going to live very much longer... And then... a few days later... she... she died..." Tears were streaming down his face once more, and he buried his face in his hands.

"Willy..." said Jenni softly. _Just how much does he usually cry?_

"I'm sorry," he said, wiping his eyes. "I always get emotional when I tell that story... But things weren't really so bad..."

Pieces of the puzzle fell into place in Jenni's mind. "So... you love candy because it makes you think of your mother?"

Willy nodded, sniffing. "Anytime my mom or our nurse took me there, I felt so at peace."

"Your nurse took you there, too? What was her name again?"

"Mandi. She was really nice to me, and she always took me places when my mom couldn't." He gazed intently at Jenni now. "I haven't seen her since I was little, but... you remind me a lot of her."

Jenni raised an eyebrow. "Mandi... that's my sister's name. How do you spell it?"

"M-a-n-d-i. Why?"

Surprise filled her eyes. "Because... my sister Mandi was a nurse, too. She's a bit older than me, I was a little girl when she became a nurse, but we're really not that far apart. I haven't seen her in a while either, I really need to visit... and she never told me the name of the family that she worked for."

"My father... he didn't really want people to know about it, so he made her promise not to tell anyone. I don't know why, though..."

"That's it!" said Jenni excitedly. "My sister must've been your family nurse. She went away for a while, my mom said to live with a cousin of ours or something, but that must be where she went all those times. It all fits, anyway..."

Willy smiled a little. "Yes... when I first met you when you applied for a job at my shop, I thought you looked a little like her. The resemblance is actually pretty uncanny..."

Jenni grinned at him. "Did you like her? Was she a good nurse at all?"

"Oh, of course!" replied Willy. "She was great. She didn't care for just my mother, she cared for me, too. I must have inherited a lot more of my mother's traits than I thought, I would get sick all the time. And she would always be there for me, at my side, and everything. Even after my mother... passed away... she came back whenever I needed her. And she would still take me places." He closed his eyes, as if trying to remember something.

_It was a normal, busy day in London, and it was time for Willy and Mandi's trip into the main part of the city._

_"Willy! Willy!" Mandi called. _

_Willy ran up to her, panting slightly. "Hello, Miss Mandi," he said politely, smiling._

_"Are you ready to go?" _

_"Yes, yes. Are we really going, are we really going?" he asked excitedly._

_Mandi grinned at him. "Of course we are Willy. I promised you, after all."_

_"Then... then are we going to the zoo?"_

_"Yes, Willy," she replied, laughing. "Why do you keep asking?"_

_"Just.. .just curious," he said. _

_"Okay, time to cross the street," she said, and Willy obediently held out his small hand. Mandi closed her hand gently around his, and the_

_two crossed the street. _

_"Can we go to the candy shop first?"_

_"We have to eat lunch first," she reminded him._

_"But... I... I want to go there first."_

_"Sorry, Willy," she said, squeezing his hand softly. "Lunch first. You don't want to spoil your appetite." Seeing the slightly sad look on his face, she added, "But if you're good, I promise I'll buy you something."_

_His face lit up. "Really? Yay!"_

_She laughed, and the two set off into the city._

"Willy?"

"Huh?" he said, snapping back to reality.

"I kept calling your name, and you didn't answer me. You alright?" Jenni looked at him, concerned.

"Oh! Yeah... Um, I'm fine. I'm sorry. I was just having a flashback, that's all..."

Jenni laughed, and the memory of Mandi echoed in Willy's mind. Their laughs sounded so much alike... "You probably drifted off cause your sick. Why don't you get some sleep?"

Willy had almost forgotten that he was sick. He had been so caught up in his memories that he had begun to ignore his slightly dazed feeling, but now it was returning. He sneezed, and Jenni handed him a tissue.

"I'll wake you up in a little while, okay? Then we can eat or something," she said, pulling his blanket over him.

He frowned slightly. "Aw... I wanted to give you the grand tour..."

She grinned. "Don't worry, you can give me one later." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and exited the room, leaving him even more in a daze than ever.

After a few minutes, she peeked back into his room and saw that he had fallen asleep again, and she went downstairs to find a phone. She dialed a number, and waited for someone to pick up.

_"Hello?" _a voice finally answered.

_Good, she's home..._ Jenni smiled, satisfied. "Hey, sis... how are you?"

_"Jenni? Hey! I'm fine, how are you?"_

"Good, good... hey, I have a favor to ask you."

_"Really? Go ahead."_

"Mandi... do you remember Willy Wonka?"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven:

Later that afternoon, Willy woke up and discovered that he was alone.

_Where is she?_ he thought to himself. She wasn't in his room with him, as he had first expected, but he suddenly felt rather guilty for hoping that she would be there when he woke up. He got up from bed and heard giggling from downstairs.

Except it sounded like to people giggling. And both giggles sounded familiar to him.

Willy opened his door quietly to try and peer over the stair railing, but he suddenly heard footsteps approaching, so he dashed back into this room and quickly got back under his covers.

The door opened, and Jenni peeked inside. "Hey, Willy," she said, smiling. "How are you?"

"Just... just fine," he said nervously.

Jenni looked at him curiously, but she came over and sat on his bed. "Guess what."

"Er...what?"

"Someone came over to visit you." She grinned.

Willy's heart almost stopped. So there were more people in the house than just Jenni and himself. _I knew it..._ "Um... who?"

Jenni turned to face the door, and called, "You can come in now."

The door opened again, and in came Mandi Masterson.

"Hi, Willy," she said, greeting him with a familiar smile. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Willy was speechless. It was true that he hadn't seen Mandi in many years, but she hadn't changed very much. She still wore her sweet, loving

grin. Her hair was still the same long, chestnut brown as it used to be, and she had friendly hazel eyes. Seeing them together, Willy realized how much the two sisters looked alike: Jenni also had brown hair, but it was cut shoulder length, and she had green eyes, but it would be rather easy to mix them up by their appearance.

"Hello, Mandi. Yes, it has..." he said, and Mandi pulled Willy into a hug, then he hugged her as well.

"I hear you got sick again," she said, putting a hand on his forehead. "Tsk, tsk. You'll never change, huh, Willy?"

He grinned, blushing slightly. "I guess not... it must be a family trait from Mom's side."

Jenni smiled. "This is amazing. For all these years, I've had a sister who was the nurse for the Wonkas, and she never told me!"

Mandi shrugged. "Mr. Wonka told me not to tell anyone but Mum. Just for the sake of privacy, you know." She noticed Willy's face fall a bit at further mention of his mother, and quickly decided to change the subject. "So, I hear you have a very good candy shop."

"Oh yes. Well, I think it's good," said Willy.

"Of course it's good," laughed Jenni. "We're always up to our eyes in customers. Especially now that it's the holidays." Willy smiled at her.

"Oh!" said Mandi suddenly. "I can't believe I just realized this... I'm sorry for coming her so unexpectedly. I can forget my manners when I'm getting caught up with friends."

"It's fine," assured Willy. "Really, I don't mind. And it's nice to see you again." He smiled at her as well, and Jenni felt a twinge of jealousy. They were acting so sweet together... just as Willy and herself had been acting. _But I suppose it's because they've known each other longer..._

Suddenly, Willy started to shiver. "Are you-" began Jenni, but she was interrupted.

"Do you need a blanket, Willy?" asked Mandi.

He nodded, coughing, and Mandi opened his closet and looked on the shelves to find one, then returned to his bed and laid it on top of him. "There. All better, right?" She patted his shoulder. "We don't want you to get any worse."

Willy turned red, but he laid his head back on his pillow. _What?_ thought Jenni, starting to get a little angry. _I could've done that..._

"So, Jenni," said Mandi, turning to her sister. "How have you been? You stopped writing to me."

Jenni rolled her eyes. "That's because I didn't know where you were. Last I heard from you, you were going to America to study their medical methods. I had no way to contact you."

"Sorry, sis," she said, grinning apologetically. "I promise I'll tell you where I'm going before I high-tail it out of London again. What have you been up to? You didn't really tell me much on the phone..."

"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you... I work at his shop."

"Really?" said Mandi, surprised. "I thought you were going to be an actress or something."

"That's not happening," laughed Jenni, "or at least not anytime soon. For now, I like working at the shop. It's very fun, and very rewarding. Plus I get to work with you, Willy," she added, grabbing his hand and squeezing it softly. Willy was taken a little aback by the sudden gesture, but smiled back anyway. _Two can play at this game, Mandi..._ Jenni thought, but then she stopped. She had done it again: she had become jealous. It had been a while since she had felt this away about someone, and she had become defensive as soon as her sister had came to visit. _I shouldn't act like this... I should be grateful that nothing happened to my sister during her travels, and that Willy got to see someone who meant so much to him. But... why do I feel so empty inside?_

Her thoughts were interrupted when Willy started to sneeze, and brushing aside those thoughts quickly, she practically dived for the tissue box. But Mandi beat her to it once again. "Here you go, Willy," she said, smiling sweetly and handing it to him. "Bless you."

Fury was now starting to pulse through Jenni's body. _That's it..._ It was unbearable to watch Mandi, her own sister, playing around with Willy like they were best friends. Well, they were best friends, but that wasn't the point. The point was that Jenni had initiated a relationship between the two that was more than friends. And clearly Mandi didn't know to what extent that relationship really was, and Jenni guessed, maybe even Willy didn't either. But she would let them both know.

"Mandi... can I talk to you for a second?" she said through gritted teeth, motioning towards the door. Mandi, looking curious, nodded, and left the room with her sister after patting Willy on the hand once again.

_Sure, he has reason to love her more. Sure, she was his nurse. But that doesn't mean she should be able to just walk right in and take him away when... when I wanted him. That's not fair to me. I love him..._

"What's wrong, Sis?" said Mandi when they were downstairs and a safe distance from Willy's bedroom.

"What's wrong? What do you mean, what's wrong?" replied Jenni furiously.

"What's the matter with you? Why are you angry?"

"You! You're the one playing around with him like he's a toy, that's why!"

"What are you talking about?" her sister asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not playing with him. I'm trying to help him feel better."

"Well... Well, I could've done some of those things myself!" she spat furiously.

"I'm sorry," said her sister, shrugging. "I'm used to it, though. You don't know how many times I was stuck with him being sick and had to take care of him. It's like a natural reaction now. And... why are you getting so defensive?"

_Argh... I did it AGAIN._ "I..." She blushed. "I'm not being defensive."

"Yes you are. You're getting mad at me for helping him. And I'm sorry that you don't like me being nice to him, but he's my friend, and it's always been my job to take care of him. At least it used to be."

"Well... he's... he's my friend, too. I've been working for him for ages now! And..."

"And you like him?"

"Yeah, I like him, but-" She stopped. Her sister had been able to tell. Now she knew about Jenni's feelings for Willy. A sly grin surfaced on Mandi's face, and Jenni turned even redder. "N-no, it's not like that, I just-"

"Jenni, I know what you're trying to say," said Mandi, still grinning widely. "You really like him."

Jenni was never usually a person to be embarassed easily or become flustered often, but now she was being both. "I... no... you don't understand... Um..."

"Jenni... I know how you feel. And believe it or not, I've felt the same way before."

"You... you have?"

"Yes. You're in love. And I'm pretty sure he loves you, too. I'm not going to try and take him from you, I've found someone else. Willy's not the guy for me, he's the guy for _you_. You two look really cute together, by the way," she added, winking.

Jenni blushed furiously, staring at the floor. "Well... can I take care of him then?"

"Certainly. Like I said, I'm sorry, it just comes natural to me, being his old nurse and all."

"I can't believe you never told me..."

Her sister sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you, they didn't want me to. And now you know, so it doesn't matter, right?"

Jenni shifted uncomfortably. "I guess you're right but..."

"Look. Just take good care of him, okay? He's really precious to me. Not in that way," she added, seeing some of the fire return to Jenni's eyes. "He's like... a little brother. And you're my little sister, so I care about both of you. I want both of you to be happy, and if being together means you'll both be happy, that's good enough for me."

"So you... you approve?"

Mandi laughed. "Of course I do! My two favorite people are in love! That's like Christmas to me! But like I said, I just want you to promise me you'll take good care of him."

"I promise... but shouldn't he take good care of me, too?"

Mandi rolled her eyes. "Of _course_ he will. He's head over heels for you. And look how rich he is!" she giggled, and the two hugged. _I don't feel so troubled about this anymore, _thought Jenni. _Now that I know that I have support, maybe things'll be a bit easier... for the both of us._

Upstairs, Willy was sitting up in bed, frowning. Jenni and Mandi had been downstairs a long time, and he was starting to feel lonely.

"I wonder what they're doing?" he thought aloud, debating if he should peek out his door to see them. After waiting a few minutes, he sighed, and laid his head back down on his pillow. "Whatever. They'll come back eventually, I suppose," he said sadly, closing his eyes. He wanted Jenni. Even though she was only in the other room, he still felt completely abandoned without her. And he missed Mandi as well, but not in the same way that he felt about Jenni.

_I love Jenni... _he thought. _And I love Mandi... but I don't love Mandi the same way that I love Jenni... I'm so confused..._ His head started to hurt a little, adding to his frustration, so he decided to let himself sleep to evade the debate in his mind.

_It was a warm, sunny day outside, and the breeze felt nice against Willy's skin. He could see a silouehtte in the distance, but he couldn't make out who it was. He squinted and walked slowly towards the shadow._

_The person turned, and it was Jenni. She was smiling warmly, and she instantly put her arms around him. _

_He did not shudder, but he smiled back. _

_"Willy... I love you..." she said softly, kissing him on the cheek._

_He felt his face become more warm than the surroundings. "I... I l-love you too, Jenni..." he said, slightly startled._

_A small frown came onto her face. "You're not lying, are you?"_

_"Of course not!" he said quickly._

_"But what about me?" a voice interrupted._

_Willy turned around to see Mandi, crying. "I thought you loved me," she said sadly. "But apparently, you love her more." She turned to walk away._

_He ran up to her. "Wait! Don't leave! I love you too!" he said._

_"But you said you loved me!" said Jenni, starting to cry._

_"Wait..." Willy was more confused than ever. With both girls crying, he didn't know who to talk to, who to comfort, who to console. "I love... I love you both. But, it's not the same..."_

_"What do you mean!" demanded Mandi. "What are you saying!"_

_"He's saying that he doesn't love you!" yelled Jenni._

_"Wait... you misunderstand, I-"  
_

_Both girls glared at him, and he started to cry himself, and ran away, leaving the two arguing amongst themselves._

When Willy woke up, he was breathing slightly heavily. The dream had felt so real... especially since Jenni had seemed so angry earlier.

But when he turned around, he saw both Jenni and Mandi sitting by him, smiling.

"Hey sleepyhead," chimed Mandi. "You looked like you were having a nightmare."

"That'll make the millionth one this week," laughed Jenni. "What did you dream about, Willy?"

Willy could only blush; it felt a little embarassing to have dreamt about the two of them, especially when they had been fighting over him in the dream, and how could that possibly happen? "Um..."

"Don't worry about it. Sorry we left you alone," said Mandi, taking his hand.

"We had to talk some things over, that's all," added Jenni, taking his other hand.

Now Willy seemed stuck in the middle, just like in his dream. "Er... what did you talk about?"

"You, of course," said Mandi.

"And we came to some conclusions," said Jenni. "Mandi loves you like you're a little brother-"

"And Jenni loves you as a boyfriend," finished Mandi.

Willy was bewildered. He had known that Jenni had well, _liked _him, and she even said she loved him. But he didn't know she meant like _that_. Jenni grinned at him, and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "How do you feel about that, Mr. Wonka?"

"I...I..." He was practically speechless. "I... l-love you, too..." Truthfully, he did love her back. He was just confused. But happiness was now spreading through him, the familiar warmth he had felt before.

Mandi pulled him into a tight hug. "Aw, you two will be so sweet together. Well, I gotta go, I haven't visited Mum yet. But I'll come back later, if it's alright with you." She winked at Willy. "See you two later."

Jenni waved, smiling, and Willy just stared open-mouthed as Mandi left the room.

Now they were alone. Again.

"Well... now that we're alone," said Jenni, smiling slyly. She pulled Willy into another hug, and the two kissed.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve:

"Um..." said Willy. "What... what just happened?" Everything was happening so fast.

Jenni laughed. "Let me explain... I hope you don't get mad at me about this, but..." She hesitated.

"I won't, go on."

"Well... I got sort of... jealous... when Mandi came. You know, how she was taking care of you and stuff. I wanted to be the one that did things for you... and I started to think..." She sighed. "I started to think you loved her more because of all the times she's been there for you."

Willy was slightly shocked at this. He knew that they seemed to have a little friction between them, or at least Jenni thought so, and he had even had that strange dream. But he didn't think it was like _this_. "But... Jenni, I... no, that wouldn't happen. I... love you..."

Jenni blushed. "Really?"  
"Yes, of course... She was like an older sister to me. Her relationship with me isn't the way it is between us... she was always there to take care of me before when I was sick or something. But other things... like... real love... I'd be happier if it was between you and me. Not her."

These words made Jenni happier than she had ever been before. He truly loved her. And she truly loved him. It was like a match made in heaven. _I didn't things like this could really happen... Is this what they say about finding your soulmate?_ she thought to herself. "That... that makes me happy to hear you say that, Willy..." She leaned in to kiss him again.

"Wait!" he said, holding a hand up. "Don't..."

She stared at him, puzzled. "Why can't I kiss you?"

"Because... you'll get sick, too. And what are we to do if we're both sick?"

Jenni laughed; she hadn't expected it to be something that simple. _Leave it to Willy..._ "Don't worry about it. Plus, even if I did get sick, Mandi would come back over in a heartbeat. She'd probably get mad at me, but... that doesn't matter. Oh well. I'll kiss you again later, promise."

He smiled. "You're right. And... thank you."

Jenni gave him a small hug, and checked her watch. "Wow, time sure flies... It's almost nine... I guess..." She glanced at Willy. "I guess I better be going... Well... goodbye."

Willy frowned. "You're... leaving?"

"Yes, I really should go home... I have to tend to the cat, he's been alone all day, and I have to do my laundry... stuff like that. I'm sorry..."

"No, it's okay, really. Go ahead and go."

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," she said, heading towards the door. She stopped in the doorway. "Are you going to be alright alone?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" he said, blushing. "I'll be fine, I promise..."

She grinned. "I'll take your word for it then. Well... See you tomorrow."

"Bye," he said softly as she shut the door. He continued to look sadly at the spot where she had been, wishing that she would somehow find a reason to stay with him, to not go home, to keep him company a little longer. But she didn't return.

It made him sad that even though she had just admitted something so important to him, as did he, she had just left with nothing more. Not even a goodnight kiss. And so many things were racing through his mind... Mandi's visit, Jenni fighting with Mandi, their kiss earlier... Even though he had only spent one night near her, he longed to be with Jenni again. Having her so close to him was comforting. It made him feel safe. Almost as if... He hated to admit it, but it was like having his mother. But Mandi was like a mother, too.

"Mandi... She's always been there for me..." he mused aloud. "Or she was when I was little..."

Confusion continued to keep him from thinking straight, and soon, his eyelids felt heavier than ever, and he fell asleep.

_It was a chilly mid-September, and school had already started for many young students, including the now six-year-old Willy. He had walked to Mandi's house today so she could take him to school._

_"Miss Mandi! Miss Mandi!"_

_Mandi turned around. "Yes, Willy?"_

_"Um, I'm ready for school," said Willy, holding up his bookbag and clutching a slightly-bent paper under his arm. His face was very red and_

_he looked tired._

_"Are you okay?" she asked, frowning in concern. "You look sick."_

_"Um... I'm not sick..." he said, looking away._

_"Willy, I can tell when you're sick." _

_"No really, I'm... I'm fine..." he said, but he suddenly had a coughing fit, and Mandi held him softly as he tried to catch his breath. _

_"Just take deep breaths," said Mandi. After a minute or two, Willy had caught his breath again and was smiling weakly at Mandi. "Um... I guess we should be going now... right?"_

_Mandi looked at him in disbelief. "You, go to school? I don't think so."_

_"But... but..." he said quietly._

_"Not with a cough like that. You're going home, straight to bed, understand?"_

_Tears welled up in his eyes. "But... Show and tell is today...I wanted to show everyone my drawing" He held up the paper. It was a drawing of a chocolate river with a waterfall in a field of candy cane trees and bright green grass._

_"That's a very pretty picture, Willy... why did you draw that?"_

_"I didn't know what to draw, and M-Mommy told me to draw what I think Heaven looks like."_

_He was so sweet and innocent. Mandi smiled. "Then I'm sure that's what it looks like. But...I know you want to go, and I know you want to show everybody. But I want you to feel better."_

_Coughs began to rack his body again, and when he his fit ceased, he began to cry._

_She sighed. "Please don't cry, Willy. Look, I'll have a talk with your teacher, okay? I'll ask her to let you do it when you come back to school. But right now, I need to take you home."_

_He only sobbed in return, and she took his hand. "Please don't cry anymore. It's okay." _

_She bent down to him and wiped a tear from his eye, then hugged him gently. He smiled, but began to cough again, and Mandi pulled off her scarf and wrapped it slightly loosely arond Willy's neck, then she picked him up and held him in her arms on the walk back home..._

_"Willy... Willy, please wake up. It's time for your medicine."_

_It was Mandi who had woken him up. He rubbed his eyes, glancing around the room. He saw his picture and his bookbag carefully laid on the desk in his room._

_She had been sitting by his bed for a long time, he guessed, and was now holding a cup of water and a spoon. "This will make you feel better." She saw the expression his face, and smiled slightly. "I know you don't like it, but you have to take it."_

_He hated the gross taste of medicine. It always tasted strange, bitter, even sour at times, but he reluctantly allowed her to place the spoon in his mouth. He winced at the taste, but took a gulp of water and was relieved to wash it away._

_"Miss Mandi..."_

_She turned to look at him after placing the cup back on the table. "Yes, Willy?"_

_"Why... why am I always sick? Is something wrong with me?"_

_Mandi's smile faded. "Well... I'd love to say that there isn't something wrong... but I would have to guess that it's a genetic thing."_

_"What's... jeh-net-ick?"_

_"It's how you're made. Like what color your hair and eyes are, and how much immunity you have. Immunity is how well you fight sickness," she added, seeing yet another confused look on his face. _

_"Oh," he replied, still a bit puzzled. A sad look now played across his face. "But... I don't like being sick. Can't you make me better?"  
_

_"I really wish I could do that... I can help you get better now, but I can't guarantee that you won't get sick again. No one can."_

_He began to cry again. He hated being sick; he always felt horrible, he could barely think straight, everything was a blur. The only good thing about it was how much time he got to spend with Mandi. Sweet Mandi... she was always there for him when he was sick. She would stay at his side, give him medicine, say comforting words, anything to make him feel better. And she was so encouraging, too._

_"Willy... why do you keep crying?" she asked, worried._

_"B-Because..." he cried. "I d-don't like being s-s-sick... I want to be better... I don't want to... to die... like Mommy did..." He buried his face in Mandi's arms. She hated to see him so sad, and at such a young age, he didn't understand everything. But he knew enough to know that his mother was never coming back; he knew that "dead" meant "gone for good". It had been almost a year since her death, but it still took a toll on her son's fragile feelings. _

_"Willy... You're not going to die," she said calmly. The first thing to do was to calm him down, because when he panicked, things were never good. "Your mother died because she was already weak from giving birth to you."_

_"So... it's m-my fault that she d-died?" _

_"No, of course not!" she said quickly, alarmed. The last thing that she needed for him to do was to try and accept the blame for the situation. That would only hurt him more, and it wasn't his fault. "Your mother chose to have you. She knew what might happen if she had you, but she gave birth to you anyway. That's because she loved you. And right now... she wouldn't want you to cry about her. She would want you to be happy and to keep living life as best as you can."_

_"Is she... is she in Heaven, Miss Mandi?"_

_Mandi smiled. "Of course she's in Heaven. That's where the good people's souls go, and they live up there forever."_

_"So... Mommy is in the field of green grass and she's living by the chocolate river? And she's eating from the candy cane trees?"_

_"Yes, I believe she is..." She gave him a reassuring smile. He coughed softly, and she hugged him. "Now, I think you should go back to sleep."  
_

_"You're... you're not leaving me, are you?" he said worriedly, recovering._

_"No, I'm not leaving. I want to stay with you to make sure you get better," she said tucking his blanket around him and straightening his pillows. "I won't leave you, Willy."_

_A small smile came onto his face. "Okay... Thank you, Miss Mandi."_

_"You're welcome, Willy."_

The present-day Willy awoke with a start. The dream... His dream was about his times with Mandi. It was so clear in his mind, despite the fact that his thoughts were still a bit hazy.

_I guess I had those dreams because she was here today... _he thought, peering in the semi-darkness of his room. The only light was caused by the moonlight that was cast through his window. He hadn't really realized just how much he had come to miss Mandi and her ever-present company. She had been with him so many times, caring for him, loving him. And he had been alone for so many years afterwards... A pang of guilt struck him; he hadn't thought of her in so long. Occasionally, he would maybe see her face in a dream or imagine that he saw her, but otherwise, his thoughts were elsewhere, like the shop or something. _I'm sorry, Mandi..._

He also realized how alone he felt now; even though he had been remembering times when he was distressed, there was also extreme comfort. He now missed the feeling of being with someone who loves you constantly. And Willy knew what he wanted to do.

He wanted to call Jenni and ask her to come over, just so he could have some company, to evade the extreme loneliness that had engulfed him so suddenly upon his awakening.

But he couldn't do it. Not now. It was a little past midnight, and he was sure that she was fast asleep. He definitely didn't want to bother her, but sadness started to make calling her look more and more appealing.

Torn between his longing for Jenni and his reluctance to wake her so late, he did one of the things he was best at: he began to cry. He felt foolish, just like his childlike self, because he had cried so much in his life. He cried when he was young, and he was crying now. But the tears wouldn't stop. It was like they were two waterfalls that never stopped flowing. There was always some sadness in his life. The adult side of him was beginning to mature a little more, after his admittance to loving Jenni, and it felt that he should just get over these things and live on. The child side of him was much more comforting at the moment.

_I can't take it anymore! _he thought, frustrated. He practically jumped out of bed and dashed towards his phone, and dialed her number as fast as possible.


End file.
